A driver's account of a fatal A3 motorbike crash was challenged in court by a police investigator on Monday (November 16).

Christopher Webb died after his motorcycle was in collision with Grenville Harding's Ford Focus near the Esher Bypass on December 18 2013.

Mr Webb, aged in his 30s, was knocked off his Yamaha bike on the southbound carriageway at around 5.30pm during a period of heavy rainfall and was then hit by another vehicle, suffering fatal injuries.

Jurors in Mr Harding's trial at Guildford Crown Court heard from his initial statement to police.

The 56-year-old, of Saxon Gate in Reading, said he was driving back to Berkshire from his workplace in Epsom.

He said that on approaching the Painshill junction he "decided to move across from lane one into lane two" and insisted he had made various safety checks, including over his shoulder, but came into contact with the bike as he switched lanes.

"I heard a bang and in my peripheral vision saw an object on the driver's side," Mr Harding said in the police statement.

"I looked out the window and could see nothing but then in the rearview mirror saw the motorbike."

He added: "I wish to offer my sympathy to the family.

"I really don't think it was my fault but I don't wish to speculate on the cause of the road traffic incident."

'In shock and very pale'

Having examined markings and damage resulting from the crash, Surrey Police collision investigator Carly Longstaff challenged this account, telling the court the impact occurred by the exit slip road from the Esher interchange.

PC Longstaff said to jurors: "It's unlikely that he moved across into lane two because of the distance, and in fact it's more probable it occurred in lane one.

"This is because of the distance from the chevrons and the scratch marks [on the road surface].

"The fact that the wing mirror [of the Ford Focus] was facing inwards [after the collision] suggests the Ford Focus was travelling at a speed which was higher than that of the motorcycle."

PC Longstaff suggested Mr Harding "wouldn't have had enough time" to make safety checks before the impact.